Prof. Karlheinz Brandenburg (left) and Prof. Udo Bechtloff are the new dual heads of the institute.

After various professional stages, Prof. Bechtloff successfully managed KSG-Leiterplatten GmbH in Gornsdorf in the Ore Mountains until 2016. Since 2012 he has also held an honorary professorship at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. Mr Bechtloff is also president of the Industrieverein Sachsen 1828 e.V. and spokesman of the adivisory board of Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS in Chemnitz.

Prof. Karlheinz Brandenburg is pleased about the increase in personnel: "Prof. Bechtloff is an expert entrepreneur with strong connections to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and an excellent regional and national network. For our institute, his strategic experience, his extremely successful long-standing management activities and his networks are a great support to bring our know-how successfully into the industry."

With the new dual leadership, Prof. Karlheinz Brandenburg will be able to focus even more strongly on scientific cooperation between the Fraunhofer IDMT and Thuringia's universities, especially the Technische Universität Ilmenau. "By strengthening the IDMT management team, I can now spend more time being accessible to staff and especially doctoral students. And last but not least, I have to start the process of my succession at the university and the IDMT."